[Travel] Dream Trip To Western Europe In November 2019 (Day 10)

On the previous post on my blog, I was updating the stories on Day 1 until Day 9. Then, I would like to continue on Day 10 on 07 December 2019 (Saturday). This day we started our day after breakfast at the hotel around 07:00 am. This day we've toured around the Zurich, Switzerland and it's begun at 08:00 am.

The first place we're visiting is Lucerne City. Lucerne is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the district of the same name. With a population of approximately 82,000 people, Lucerne is the most populous town in Central Switzerland and a nexus of economics, transportation, culture, and media in the region. The city's urban area consists of 19 municipalities and towns with an overall population of about 220,000 people.

Owing to its location on the shores of Lake Lucerne (German: Vierwaldstättersee) and its outflow, the river Reuss, within sight of the mounts Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists. One of the city's famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge (German: Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century. The official language of Lucerne is the Swiss variety of Standard German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.

Then, we're going to Lion Monument. The Lion Monument (German: Löwendenkmal), or the Lion of Lucerne, is a rock relief in Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. It is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland, visited annually by about 1.4 million tourists. In 2006 it was placed under Swiss monument protection.

Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.

After that, we're visited the Casa Grande Store and Bucherer Store. The Case Grande Store and Bucherer Store is one of the shopping places and as a tourist, we're entitled to claim Tax Refund. I take chance to buy one of the limited edition of Swatch watch at Bucherer Store. The cost is CHF 80.00 (RM 363.20).

TIP 26 – What's can I say? The average souvenir in Switzerland is quite expensive even the currency is low rather than UK Pound (£), and Euro (€). For example, the fridge magnet is selling one by one, not like '3 for CHF 10'. Each item has a different price and the low price that I can see is CHF 6.00 (RM 27.24) for one fridge magnet.

The next destination is the Chapel Bridge. The Kapellbrücke (literally, Chapel Bridge) is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the river Reuss diagonally in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel, the bridge is unique in containing several interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city's symbol and as one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.

Part of the bridge complex is the octagonal 34.5 m (113 ft) tall (from the ground) Wasserturm, which translates to "water tower," in the sense of 'tower standing in the water.' The tower pre-dated the bridge by about 30 years. Over the centuries, the tower has been used as a prison, torture chamber, and later a municipal archive as well as a local treasury. Today, the tower is closed to the public, although it houses a local artillery association and a tourist gift shop.

The bridge itself was originally built c.1365 as part of Lucerne's fortifications. It linked the old town on the right bank of the Reuss to the new town on the left bank, securing the town from attack from the south (i.e. from the lake). The bridge was initially over 270 meters (890 ft) long, although numerous shortenings over the years and river bank replenishments mean the bridge now totals only 204.7 meters (672 ft) long. It is the oldest surviving truss bridge in the world, consisting of strutted and triangulated trusses of the moderate span, supported on piled trestles; as such, it is probably an evolution of the strutted bridge.

The Kapellbrücke almost burned down on 18 August 1993, destroying two-thirds of its interior paintings. Shortly thereafter, the Kapellbrücke was reconstructed and again opened to the public on 14 April 1994 for a total of CHF 3.4 million.

I think I was lucky that I can see the local market around the Chapel Bridge. Many of the local product was selling in this market and the price also cheaper. I like to walk around this area to take some photos.

The last place that we're visited is Mt. Titlis. Titlis is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Obwalden and Bern. At 3,238 meters (10,623 ft) above sea level, it is the highest summit of the range north of the Susten Pass, between the Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland. It is mainly accessed from Engelberg (OW) on the north side and is famous as the site of the world's first rotating cable car. The cable car system connects Engelberg (996 m (3,268 ft)) to the summit of Klein Titlis (3,028 m (9,934 ft)) through the three stages of Gerschnialp (1,262 m (4,140 ft)), Trübsee (1,796 m (5,892 ft)) and Stand (2,428 m (7,966 ft)).

The last part of the cable car leads above the glacier. At Klein Titlis, it is possible to visit an illuminated glacier cave from an entrance within the cable-car station, which also includes shops and restaurants. The Titlis Cliff Walk, the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe, opened in December 2012, giving views across the Alps. Many people use Mt.Titlis as a cheaper and easier option than Jungfraujoch.

The temperature at up of the mountain.

Titlis straddles the border between Obwalden and Bern. The main summit of Titlis (sometimes distinguished by the name Gross Titlis) and Klein Titlis are both located between the municipalities of Engelberg on the north and Gadmen on the south. The Titlis massif is also partially located in Nidwalden, where the highest point of that canton is found: the Rotstöckli (2,901 m). Titlis itself is the highest point in Obwalden and the valley of Engelberg. East of Titlis is the Grasser, where the borders between the cantons of Obwalden, Berne, and Uri converge. The geographical center of Switzerland is situated about 15 kilometers west of the mountain.

Titlis is the highest mountain in the portion of the Uri Alps north of the Susten Pass. This part of the range is located between the valleys of the Hasli (west) and the Reuss (east), thus separating the waters feeding the basins of the Aare and Reuss respectively. On the north side, the valley of Engelberg (Engelbergertal) is drained by the Engelberger Aa, a tributary of the Lake Lucerne. The valley is located southwards from Lake Lucerne.

The northern side of the massif is covered by the Titlis Glacier (German: Titlisgletscher). Due to global warming, the glacier has been receded dramatically; it is expected to disappear in about twenty years. The south steep and rocky face rises above the Wenden Glacier. The east side overlooks a glacier named Firnalpeligletscher.

We had lunch at the 2nd level restaurant. There was Indian cuisine, Asian and Western. The restaurant also caters for Halal food in another section. We had a pizza and it's delicious. After lunch, we went to level 4 to visit the panoramic rest area. For those who want a family photo, there is a studio at level 3. You can also rent shoes for the snow walk at level 5. We bought some souvenirs at level 1. Bought postcard and stamp for posting the card back home.

TIP 27 – There also have room for Muslim Tourists to pray at level 3, but it's the room is small and mix for men and women. Maybe you can take a turn to pray.

TIP 28 – Please make sure you keep well your ticket. It's because all the cable car entry has the gate that needs to scan your ticket.

TIP 29 – Please be careful when you walk on ice or snow. It's because slippery and it's also will make your fall. If needed, wear the right shoes when you need to walk on ice and snow.

The temperature before going up to the mountain.

The moment we're going up, there has heavy mist so I can't get a clear view from the mountain. Even though it has misty but I still enjoy playing with snow and take a lot of pictures.

After that, we're going to have the dinner and our menu of today is Indian Cuisine at the Taj Palace Indian Cuisine Restaurant. The menu is not bad and delicious too. Just the place is quite small but cozy for us. We're will take dinner in the same restaurant yesterday while we're traveling in Switzerland.

After dinner, we're check-in in the hotel at the Holiday Inn Express Affoltern Am Albis. We have to get ready packing our luggage for check-out of the next day. The last night we're staying at Zurich, Switzerland before we're going back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We have a great sleep.

That is all my stories on day 10 of this trip. Just for your information, I have been writing the extra note tip about Dream Trip to Western Europe in November 2019 based on my experience during this trip. Feel free to read it. Here, the link to the continued stories about the Dream Trip to Western Europe in November 2019 – Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 11, and Day 12.